PHP is a recursive acronym that stands for "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor" (initially personal home page). As you probably already know, HTML is hypertext markup language, so can you guess what they hypertext is? Hypertext is everything you see on the page, and PHP is processed before what you see - allowing you to create dynamic, active, and live web pages.
What can I do with PHP?
Create a form on your site that people can contact you with. You can then either have the results mailed to you, or store them in a database.
Create a message board, wiki, blog, etc. Many of these are already created and you can actually get software that has everything you want and then begin to customize it with your PHP knowledge.
Store your website content in a database so that it will be easy to search and easier for others to update (often known as a Content Management System (CMS)).
Create a login area for your site members.
Create a customized site for your visitors.
Much more!
Why would I want to learn PHP?
To create your own dynamic and interactive website
To increase your ability to think logically
To learn something new!
Is PHP difficult to learn?
No! PHP is fairly easy to learn, but requires dedication to move on to the more advanced topics.
How long would it take for me to learn PHP?
This depends entirely on your time and effort. PHP can be learned in a month, or in ten years. Again, it's up to you!
Can I view PHP web pages on my computer without the Internet?
You can, but it may be a little difficult. To do so you would need a web server and PHP installed on your computer.
- Most Mac computers come with both installed, and both being easy to startup
- *Nix has numerous packages that you can use, including XAMPP .
- Windows usually comes with IIS, which serves as your web server. PHP has an executable for you to install with IIS. Alternatively, you can also install XAMPP on your Windows computer, as displayed below.
What is PHP?
PHP is a recursive acronym that stands for "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor" (initially personal home page). As you probably already know, HTML is hypertext markup language, so can you guess what they hypertext is? Hypertext is everything you see on the page, and PHP is processed before what you see - allowing you to create dynamic, active, and live web pages.What can I do with PHP?
Why would I want to learn PHP?
Is PHP difficult to learn?
No! PHP is fairly easy to learn, but requires dedication to move on to the more advanced topics.How long would it take for me to learn PHP?
This depends entirely on your time and effort. PHP can be learned in a month, or in ten years. Again, it's up to you!Can I view PHP web pages on my computer without the Internet?
You can, but it may be a little difficult. To do so you would need a web server and PHP installed on your computer.- Most Mac computers come with both installed, and both being easy to startup
- *Nix has numerous packages that you can use, including XAMPP .
- Windows usually comes with IIS, which serves as your web server. PHP has an executable for you to install with IIS. Alternatively, you can also install XAMPP on your Windows computer, as displayed below.